We’re saddened to hear that Newcastle Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Imelda Dulcich will step down from her post.

Dulcich has single-handedly raised the profile of the local chamber, providing valuable social media promotion for its businesses and serving as a friendly community connector.

Her position was only part-time, but it was clear that Dulcich dedicated more effort and energy than her duties required.

Dulcich’s ability to recruit top-notch speakers made the chamber luncheons must-attend events. Because of her, the Newcastle business community got to hear from the likes of U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, King County Sheriff John Urquhart and King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg. Read more

The city of Newcastle honored a group Feb. 26 that far too often goes unnoticed — volunteers.

Each year, volunteers devote countless hours to city events. It is volunteers that help plan summer activities, care and advocate for the city’s vast trail network and protect Newcastle’s history.

About 50 volunteers and summer event sponsor representatives gathered at The Golf Club at Newcastle Feb. 26, where they were treated to snacks, an orchestra and a personal thank you from Newcastle Mayor Steve Buri and City Manager Rob Wyman.

Volunteerism is a big part of what makes Newcastle one of the best small cities in the country. So, here’s a special shout out to some of the groups and people that willingly offer their time to better the city: Read more

The Newcastle City Council recently voted to purchase a maintenance and storage building from the Coal Creek Utility District. In exchange for receiving a discounted price, the city agreed to a 10-year moratorium on the potential assumption of direct responsibility for water and sewer services.

Several current and former members of the City Council have registered vocal objections. They argue that the agreement is (a) illegal because it encumbers future councils, (b) unwise because it takes a reasonable option off the table and (c) it’s an unnecessary expense.

Limitations on future council action are neither illegal nor unusual. The city occupies office space under a long-term lease. Commitments to purchase and maintain our parks and to upgrade Coal Creek Parkway affected budgets over several years. Any issuance of municipal bonds requires repayment over an extended period. And the city attorney (an actual lawyer) approved the purchase. Read more

The Newcastle City Council agreed to spend $250,000 on a building it could get for free.

Let us repeat that — $250,000 of taxpayer funds spent on a maintenance operations building that could be had for nothing, well, mostly nothing.

It doesn’t make much sense, does it?

But that’s what the council narrowly agreed to with the recent 4-3 approval of the purchase-sale agreement to acquire a Coal Creek Utility District-owned building.

Sure, on the surface, it looks like a good deal — “I only have to pay $250,000 for a $750,000 building? What a steal!” — but more and more, this agreement is starting to feel like an iceberg. It’s what’s underneath the water that you should be worried about. Read more

In an effort to better communicate with its residents, the city of Newcastle is reaching out to you. Community activities liaison Wendy Kirchner wants to bring City Hall to its residents, through presentations and meet-and-greets.

Here’s Kirchner’s pitch on how the city can help you get better acquainted with the staff that run the place you call home:

Newcastle city staff would like to come to your neighborhood! Are you interested in meeting your neighbors, making your area safer and learning about city services?

We all want to live in a safe, connected community, and we are looking for opportunities to share information about city services, neighborhood safety and discuss issues of concern. Read more

As the city heads into the coming year, Newcastle continues to grow and flourish. Here are a few of our goals for the city in 2015.

Look to the future — The city has enjoyed a few years of financial stability, but looking at future forecasts, challenges are ahead as development revenues begin to disappear. Begin the discussion now, not later, to make decisions that will ensure the city’s financial future isn’t seeing red.

Keep an eye on Energize Eastside — Puget Sound Energy’s Community Advisory Group just selected its recommended routes, and both include proposed electric transmission lines through Newcastle. The company’s Energize Eastside process, aimed at upgrading power lines to fulfill the growing demand, is far from over, though. Make your voice heard and participate in the coming Environmental Impact Statement process and any other avenues offered to share your concerns. Read more

Thank you, Olympus residents who came to the Puget Sound Energy Community Advisory Group meeting Dec. 10.

There were more than 400 in attendance — standing room only. A lot of people were wearing orange to support the Coalition of Eastside Neighborhoods for Sensible Energy. I was the alternate attending the meeting around the CAG table speaking for Olympus. And I was one of the three that refused to vote on any final route, as any vote would harm our residents since segment M is in both remaining routes. The three of us not voting will sign a minority report and present it to PSE with the reasons why we did not vote.

Please go to cense.org — join the cause — get on the mailing list to follow what comes next, as it will help us continue the fight to keep this project out of our neighborhood, with alternate solutions to large towers and more wires. Read more

My brother has probably always been mentally ill, but it wasn’t until he was in his late 20s that a psychiatrist confirmed his schizophrenia. Adding to his complexity, he is vulnerable with a developmental disability, a wandering soul and a fierce streak of independence.

Before I became his official caregiver in 1999, my family saw him evicted from apartments, thrown in jail and pursued by collection agencies, and he was one bad break away from becoming homeless. Flash forward 15 years and I’m happy to say, with the proper help from a variety of agencies, my brother is stable.

My personal experiences with my brother and my work as a public librarian make me keenly aware of the challenges some of our community members face. The Newcastle Library doesn’t often see the challenging societal issues some of our other King County Library System branches face, but we remain aware the need for assistance exists in every community, regardless of age, ethnicity or income level. Read more

The weekend after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping weekend of the year, and many small businesses rely on the holiday shopping period to ensure a successful year on the books, according to the federal Small Business Administration.

That’s why the day is known as Black Friday, because heavy sales often move a business from out of the red financially into the black.

SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet sent out a press release at the end of November reminding Americans to not only shop small on Small Business Saturday, but to purchase their Thanksgiving dinner items at local grocers, shop small at their local businesses and dine small at their neighborhood restaurants.

American Express founded Small Business Saturday in 2010 to help small businesses get more customers. Its slogan is “When you shop small, it can lead to big things.” Read more